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    Steven Winn

    Steven Winn is a San Francisco based free-lance writer and critic and frequent City Arts & Lectures interviewer. His work has appeared in Art News, California, Humanities, Manhattan, Symphony Magazine and The San Francisco Chronicle.

    Articles by this Author

    Opera Review
    June 13, 2017
    Busy La Bohème Gives Lots of Light, Too Little Heat
    BY Steven Winn

    S.F. Opera unveils a revival with spotty singing, less effective acting.

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    Opera Review
    May 29, 2017
    West Bay Opera’s Salome Goes to Heady Extremes
    BY Steven Winn

    Strauss’s complex, modern opera is lifted by strong performances on stage and in the pit.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    May 9, 2017
    This Berlioz Requiem Impresses More by Whispers Than by Thunder
    BY Steven Winn

    Charles Dutoit elicited powerful, emotional music from an augmented S.F. Symphony.

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    Opera Review
    May 2, 2017
    The Spectacle of Temple de la Gloire Rises in Berkeley
    BY Steven Winn

    Decades of imagining and four years of “construction” culminate in a splendid production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera-ballet.

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    Opera Review
    April 11, 2017
    Renée Rapier and Anthony Reed Set The Woods on Fire
    BY Steven Winn

    Clever, casual staging showcases the best of the mezzo and bass in their Schwabacher Debut recital.

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    Choral Review
    April 4, 2017
    American Bach Soloists Illuminate Divinity in the Details
    BY Steven Winn

    Meticulous research, programming, and performances elevate a concert of motets for double chorus.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    March 28, 2017
    S.F. Symphony Welcomes Spring With a Flourish
    BY Steven Winn

    The orchestra pairs the premiere of Holloway’s Europa and the Bull with 20th-century masterpieces.

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    Chamber Music Review
    March 21, 2017
    Voices of Music Entrances With Stabat Mater
    BY Steven Winn

    A radiant performance of Pergolesi’s masterwork eclipses the balance of the program.

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    Chamber Music Review
    February 28, 2017
    Julia Wolfe Mines a Profoundly American Experience in Anthracite Fields
    BY Steven Winn

    The plight of Appalachian coal miners is revealed through powerful music and stark imagery.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    February 14, 2017
    American Bach Soloists’ Lively Tour of Baroque Paris
    BY Steven Winn

    The highlights, including a rare chaconne by Marin Marais, stuck with you.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    January 31, 2017
    Elizabeth Blumenstock Dazzles on the “Turkish” Violin Concerto
    BY Steven Winn

    Philharmonia Baroque offers a bit of arcane music history along with fine performances of Mozart and Haydn.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    January 24, 2017
    House of Time Finds Timeless Themes in a Striking Baroque Program
    BY Steven Winn

    The chamber ensemble played with fire and grace on works from Handel, Bach, and Rameau.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    December 6, 2016
    Philharmonia Baroque Renders a Heroic Joshua
    BY Steven Winn

    Orchestra, chorus, and soloists coalesce under McGegan’s baton to bring down the walls in Palo Alto.

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    Chamber Music Review
    October 18, 2016
    Late Show: Biss and Brentano Come to Grips with Beethoven
    BY Steven Winn

    Pianist Jonathan Biss curates an evening of late period Beethoven at San Francisco Performances.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    October 11, 2016
    California Bach Society Delivers a Sublime St. Matthew Passion
    BY Steven Winn

    Standout vocal performances and attention to musical details do full justice to Bach’s spiritual masterwork.

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    Opera Review
    September 30, 2016
    Maurizio Muraro Is Brilliant in S.F. Opera’s Don Pasquale
    BY Steven Winn

    The Italian bass-baritone delivers an opera buffa performance for the ages.

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    Opera Review
    September 12, 2016
    Dreaming Big, Red Chamber Collaborators Rise to the Challenge
    BY Steven Winn

    S.F. Opera’s new commission transcends its limitations with sumptuous staging and beguiling performances.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    August 16, 2016
    American Bach Soloists Shine in Handel’s Earthbound Parnasso
    BY Steven Winn

    The North American premiere of a 1734 Handel serenata is an interesting glimpse of the composer fulfilling his duties as unofficial court composer. Eyes and ears were on some of the strongly cast soloists.

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    Opera Review
    August 1, 2016
    Powder Her Face Is Sordid and Brilliant at West Edge Opera
    BY Steven Winn

    Thomas Adès’ early masterpiece has lost none of its shock value, but there is serious musical and dramatic entertainment, exploited to the full by West Edge Opera.

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    Opera Review
    July 26, 2016
    A Grim Take on Grimm Tales in Susa's Transformations
    BY Steven Winn

    Anne Sexton’s dark, wordy libretto is buoyed by strong performances and Conrad Susa’s score.

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